Remember Why Christ Came

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and maybe even found some great deals on Black Friday.  But, that’s all done and look where we are!  Thanks to the service of the folks who were here yesterday we all walked into a church that is raring and ready to celebrate the holiday season.  The holiday spirit of Christmas is here as we think about what a Real Christmas is all about!  We begin the Christmas season with Advent.  Maybe you already read the explanation in the bulletin about the Blue Paraments, but Advent is the season of hope, anticipation and preparation.  Is that what you were thinking?  Or maybe you’re not all that excited about the Christmas season because your calendar has filled up with activities and parties.  Maybe you lost someone you loved in death recently and you’re not looking forward to Christmas without them.  There are plenty of reasons why we may become distracted from having a Real Christmas!  Today we are going to spend a moment learning from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church in Thessalonica.  When we read Paul’s letters we hear passages like,

“Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Philippians 4:4

or

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”

Ephesians 1:3

You might think Paul was such a super charged up guy without any bad days.  However, we know Paul had plenty of struggles just like everyone else.  So, today whether you’re all excited about Christmas, or having stressful days may the Holy Spirit help us to

Remember Why Christ Came

When Your Faith is Struggling

Acts 17 tells us about the mission trip Paul took to Thessalonica.  When he arrived there with Silas they found the synagogue and shared the gospel with the Jews.  There was a large group that believed God’s Word and trusted in Jesus.  But, there were other church leaders who became jealous.  They accused Paul of trying to rebel against by calling Jesus a new king.  Paul was led out of the city at night and they went to Berea, about 30 miles away.  The word got out in Thessalonica about Paul in Berea and those Jewish leaders went to stir up trouble for Paul there was well.  So, was the life of Paul.  While proclaiming the gospel of Jesus he had plenty of struggles to face.  

What was Paul going to do?  First, he could remember how Jesus called him to be a missionary to people.  Then he could think of another way to Join Jesus On His Mission to help God’s people.  Paul remembered the people he met in Thessalonica and wondered what struggles they were facing.  So, he sent his co-worker Timothy to encourage them.  Here’s what Paul learned from Timothy,

“But now, Timothy has returned to us from you and has told us the good news about your faith and love. He also told us that you always have fond memories of us and long to see us, just as much as we also long to see you”

1 Thessalonians 3:6

That’s what Paul was praying for.  When their Faith was Struggling the believers Remembered Why Christ Came!  This was so exciting for Paul to hear about them he wrote this,

“⁹ Indeed, how can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have before God on account of you?”

Paul had been in Thessalonica a short time and scratched the surface when teaching them the plan of God’s salvation.  While he was so thankful for their faith, he also knew attacks on their faith would come and he wanted to help them.

“¹⁰ Night and day we are praying earnestly to see you in person and to supply what is lacking in your faith.” 

Easier said than done.  Satan was doing all he could to prevent Paul from returning to Thessalonica and the spiritual growth of God’s people there through the study of God’s Word.  So Paul prayed,

“¹¹ May God our Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you.”

Paul was appealing to the Lord for his help so Paul could return and share God’s Word with them.

So, why do you think their Faith Was Struggling?  As is often the case when people learn the wonderful news about Jesus, without their roots lengthened in the knowledge of God’s Word Satan comes to tempt them.  This was the problem in Thessalonica.  Some of them had fallen into the trap of believing that Jesus had already returned and they missed him.  They were worried that they would be left here to suffer forever!   Paul wrote to them to Strengthen Their Struggling Faith in chapter 4 that Jesus was coming back on Judgment Day to end all our sufferings, to destroy all his enemies and to rescue his people from the eternal consequences of sin.  Jesus punched their ticket to heaven already.  The struggle was that they weren’t there yet and having to endure the stress and earthly consequences of sin—that wasn’t over yet.

Sound familiar?  This is the season of Advent when we prepare to celebrate our Savior’s birth.  It is also the season when we know Jesus is going to return to take us to heaven someday.  Meanwhile the pressures of life, of family, of school, of work, the bank account balance, or who you will party with next weekend weigh us down.  When your faith is struggling it is the perfect time to Remember Why Christ Came!  Jesus came to earn the credits we need, he boosted us up the ladder into God’s best position, he deposited spiritual wealth into your heavenly account with your name on it, and he knows how you will get to party with Noah, Abraham, David, Peter, John and all your loved ones who are in heaven already.  Therefore, no matter what the season when your Faith is Struggling Remember Why Christ Came and you will be ready to celebrate a Real Christmas!

Has it happened already to you this morning?  Has the assurance of God’s Promises strengthened your struggling heart?  Then you are more certain of what Jesus has already done for you.  You are more certain

When Christ Returns He Will Find You Standing!

I hope you are enjoying your place of work.  If not, then I’m sorry that you have to put up with working at a place where you’re not happy.  It is a whole lot easier to work in a place where you’re appreciated.  Let’s say you were at work and your boss said, “I’m going on vacation.  I’ll be back soon.”  But, he didn’t return on Monday, or the next Monday or the next Monday.  What would you be doing?  I hope you’ve been doing your best at your job whether your boss was there or not.  But, what about your co-worker over there?   You see the big pile of work on his desk and he’s just sitting in his chair looking out the window.  Wouldn’t you want to ask, “Hey, what are you doing?”  They might say, “Look, I have all this work to get done and the boss is coming back any day and there’s no way I’ll get all this done, so I’m just gonna sit here because he’s going to fire me when he gets back anyway.”

This was another issue going on among the Thessalonia believers.  Some of them thought Jesus was coming back any minute and they were just sitting around waiting for Jesus to return.  There was no way Jesus was going to be pleased with them, so they just gave up and waited.  They needed help.  They needed an attitude adjustment so that when Christ Returns he would Find Them Standing with hearts saturated in love.  Paul wrote,

“¹¹ May God our Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. ¹² And may the Lord increase your love and make it overflow for each other and for all people, just as ours does for you, ¹³ so that he may establish your hearts as blameless in holiness before our God and Father, when our Lord Jesus comes with all his saints.”

I used this story once before, but when I think of Christ’s return with all his arms full of love and security, I can’t help but think of this story.  Mom had to go away to be with her sister who was very ill.  Her hubby and kids said, “Go! Mom!  We’ll be okay!”  They thought it would only be for a few days.  But, then days turned into weeks.  Then the day came when Mom called to let them know she was coming home.  What do you think would be going through the minds of her husband and kids? Can you sense the excitement?  What do you think they would do?  Lay around on the couch watching movies and playing video games, ignoring the dirty dishes in the sink? Don’t you think they would get busy getting things all cleaned up before Mom got home?  They could hardly wait for Mom to be home and feel her loving arms hugging them.  Is that what Mom would find when she got home?  A family Standing and Waiting for Her to Come Home!

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians that Jesus was coming back! 

“¹² And may the Lord increase your love and make it overflow for each other and for all people, just as ours does for you.” 

So, we are waiting for Jesus to return.  This does not mean sitting around.  You know what Jesus is bringing back with him.  He is bringing his loving arms to wrap around the People Who are Found Standing and Waiting for his Return.  You know what’s coming!

“¹³ So that he may establish your hearts as blameless in holiness before our God and Father, when our Lord Jesus comes with all his saints.”  

The Lord God has established your hearts through baptism and when you enjoy the blessings of the Lord’s Supper.  You know what Jesus Christ is bringing for you—forgiveness, joy, peace, happiness and love, so stand firm in his promises and demonstrate that love for those around you.  Yes, Jesus Christ finds his brothers and sisters (YOU) Standing When He Returns.

 Thanksgiving is over.  Advent is here.  So, if you’re having a difficult time or struggling with your faith during the next month dealing with all the business and stress of the Christmas season, then pause and Stand Ready by Remembering Why Christ Came the 1^st time, namely, to live and die to save us.  When Christ Returns the 2^nd time, he will Find You Standing ready to take you to be with him in heaven.  Stand Firm on God’s Promises and You’ll Be Ready to Celebrate a Real Christmas!  Amen.